The electronic detonators comprise an electronic circuit connected to wires providing a voltage. The fuse head is connected to the detonator circuit and is adapted to initiate the explosive charge included in the detonator when a current upper than a determined threshold flows through the fuse head.
In the process of manufacturing of the detonator the fuse head is welded to the electronic circuit of the detonator. However, the welding may be correctly performed or not. If the welding is well performed the detonator may work correctly. In the case where the fuse head is not correctly welded the fuse head may not initiate the explosive charge or may initiate the explosive charge for a current lower or higher than the determined threshold, thus compromising the quality of the detonator and implying economic costs and safety risks.
One known method to validate the welding of the fuse head in a detonator uses a multimeter to measure the resistance of the fuse head in the electronic circuit. The problem of this method is that this measurement must be performed before the detonator is assembled because when the detonator is assembled and the electronic circuit is inside the metallic shell loaded with the explosive charge, the measuring leads cannot reach the fuse head.
Therefore, there is a need for a method for safely validating the fuse heads assembled in electronic detonators, even after the fuse head has been assembled inside the metallic shell of the detonator.